Bathed in Brena
by CorvusBaby
Summary: Even when the obvious is lost, one must dig to find those who are really true to their heart. But be prepared. With digging around, comes major consequences.
1. Brena

Yo.

i own nothing.

nada.

zip.

zilch.

not even the song.

have fun.

'_My Reflection_

_Wraps and Pulls Me Under_

_Healing Waters to Be_

_Bathed in Bre__ña'_

_**Breña – A Perfect Circle**_

_Hang on_

_ Hang on_

_ Hang on_

_ For God's sake, just hang on!_

Her eyes fluttered open. They struggled to keep themselves wide. The light was too bright. God, how she wished it to just turn off. She threw a hand over her face but quickly recoiled when a hot liquid dribbled onto her cheeks. Beckoning her eyes open again, she focused on the image in front of her. Blood dripped slowly off her fingers and silently dropped onto her face.

She scoffed and that's when the sound hits her.

Explosions. Several of them. Going off all around her. She threw her body upwards, causing sore bones to snap in the process, and all she see's is an inferno.

Her mouth was agape, eyes were wide, and hands were shaking by her side.

Bodies scattered all around her own form, hundreds of them, bloodied, burning and totally annihilated by bullets. The whirl of helicopters hung over her head, still spouting out charges of metal. Soldiers clad in black marched the bow of the ship, gunning down everyone in white that ran past or away.

She groaned and turned to her side, noticing her strewn guns just a couple of feet away. Looking back towards the soldiers, who quickly started to gain speed towards her fallen form, she made her for her weapons, ignoring the pain in her legs. Grabbing them quickly, she whipped back forward her aggressors and pointed straight at them.

"Target located." The sound seemed to echo in unison from every soldier.

"Disperse." The sound came from behind her. Twisting her head, she came face to face with a tall blonde, dressed in a black and purple cat suit, carrying a devilish grin on her face.

"Hello Project: Alice." The blonde narrowed her eyes. Alice on the other hand pointed a gun at her face, her eyes never leaving the blondes. Her azure eyes drifted downward, catching the subtle glint of red just above her breasts.

"Umbrella. Never took you to be for them." Alice retorted. The blonde simply clicked her tongue. She reached behind her, but before either she or Alice could react, a voice screamed out behind Alice.

"Jill!"

"Goddamn it Alice, get out of there!"

Her hands went down, she momentarily dropped her guard and that's when Jill struck. Pulling her hand from behind her back, she slammed her fist down on Alice's cheek. The crack echoed on the bow and filtered into the soldiers ears.

She fell. She saw Jill's form get thrown to her side. She was pummeled by Chris, who got back to his feet and walked to Alice. Outstretching his hand, he gathered her up.

"You alright?" He dragged a thumb across her wound but stopped as soon as Alice withdrew.

"Not at all." She struggled a smile. She faltered back and worth, losing balance.

"Woah there." Chris kept her close. He patted her lightly on her back and began to search around him.

"Claire!" A shot rang out. He whipped backward, looking back at where Jill had fallen.

It was no longer Jill on the floor, instead it was Claire, clutching her knee tightly to her chest. There was no knee, just split bone and muscle, strewn all around her fallen body. Her screams were deafening, so much that Alice had to cover her ears. Chris looked up and noticed Jill kneeling; a high powered rifle nestled in her arms. She looked up and met Chris' eyes.

Flipping the butt of the gun forward, she crashed it against Chris' head, not once, but twice, knocking him out cold. Alice fell along with him, landing roughly on loose rubble.

Claire's screams settled down, but tears continued to fall down her face. A shadow cast over her as Jill moved towards Alice.

"Alice…please…get out of her-" She was cut off by a gloved hand covering her mouth. Glancing upward, she was met with a face covered in black.

"Give it a rest." The voice dark and cold. The Umbrella insignia glistened in the sun light. Her wound began to get the best of her and she began to lose consciousness.

"Alice…please…" Her voice was still muffled.

Alice never heard her words.

Alice backed away from Jill's approaching form. She kept moving until her back hit an unmoving force. Her gaze lifted and she was met with an Umbrella soldier, pointing his gun at the middle of her forehead. Alice dropped her eyes back at Jill, azure landing on Claire's carried form, seemingly cozied up in the decorated soldiers arms.

Jill snickered darkly. Grasping Claire's chin within her grasp, she twisted the red heads face at Alice's.

"This is what having friends does. I'm surprised you haven't learned your lesson." Alice didn't say anything. Her erratic breathing made it difficult to do so.

"They get captured; usually die soon after or…" Jill's gaze fluttered toward her counterpart, who still held Claire gently in her arms, "they simply get infected and die some other way."

"Go to hell." Alice spit out. The blonde just laughed.

"With pleasure." She whipped the rifle back around and slammed the butt against Alice's head, finally knocking her unconscious. Her body slumped against the petty soldiers' feet.

"What should we do now?" Jill looked up and turned away.

"Tie her and place in the hold." With a salute, the pawn had left.

Jill's partner stayed behind. Looking blankly at Alice's retreating form. Jill stopped and called out.

"Do you feel anything?" The U.B.S.C. shrugged, shifting Claire in the process.

"Am I supposed to?" Jill didn't answer. "I remember her, I remember…them all. I even remember the gun shot." Still, the blonde had kept silent.

"But she means nothing to me." Jill smirked.

"Good. When we get in, I want you to take care of that wound. We're using them as bait." Jill grabbed up Chris' legs, and began to drag him toward a hovering Osprey. "Lock them up and I want you to personally be their guards, understand?"

"Completely." The dark one stoically responded, as if this command was so commonly dished out.

"When worse comes to worse…you know to use it." Jill looked at the soldier. Her eyes drifted down to the waist line of the commando. A silver case shone brightly, black lines burned out 'Bio hazardous Material'.

"Affirmative."

Reviews are ok.

I'd rather not have them though.

C:


	2. Magdalena

Disclaimer: Go back to Chapter One.

'_Overcome by your moving temple,_

_Overcome by this holiest of altars,_

_So Pure, So Rare,_

_To Witness Such an Earthly Goddess.'_

_**Magdalena – A Perfect Circle**_

_**XxXxXxXxX**_

She groaned loudly, causing the pounding in her head to intensify. Alice tried to turn over but her intentions were restricted. The metal she was lying on clanked with her every budge, belts held down her arms and legs. She was restrained and she didn't like it one bit.

She kept shifting, hoping to at least loosen the belts, but to no avail. Alice sighed.

"Fuck…"

That's when the crashing caught her attention. Her head shot up towards the sound, drafting her eyes towards a cream colored door.

Crash!

Silence.

Crash!

The sound seemed to increase each passing moment. Alice remained still. Sweat began to bead on her forehead.

The door began to vibrate, the metal of the door against the metal of the hinges created an annoying scraping sound. The noise continued for quite some time until finally, there was a pop and the door was no longer there. Alice released a breath and began to move around.

White eyes peered into the room and stared straight at her. Its pale skin was illuminated by the white walls while its green trench coat blended almost perfectly with the darkness that loomed outside. It opened its mouth but no noise came out. Alice stared at it and it stared back. But suddenly it moved away from the door, letting what little the outside light had to offer, pour into the room. The brunette let out a solemn laugh and threw her head back in relief, but it didn't last long. Footsteps echoed around her and once again, Alice went silent. Her head shifted downward and azure eyes landed on dark sapphire. The newcomer had dusty brown hair that barely covered his eyes. His light brown jacket made his form somewhat bulkier that what it really is, but still showcased his fluid movements; a black rifle was nestled snug in his arms.

He regarded Alice for awhile, cocking his head to the side.

His eyes seemed to be trained on her chest. She looked down and noticed what had caught his attention. Beside the new garb Umbrella had decked her out with, there below her clavicle, was the Umbrella insignia, seemingly claiming her once again, as their property. She looked back up at the man.

"I'm not…" He held his hand up, cutting her off. He flung the rifle to behind his back and made his way towards her.

"I know. We came to several rooms like this, people wearing identical outfits, claiming not to be Umbrella but we got jumped. That's why I waited," He unfastened the restraints, allowing Alice to fully pick herself up, rubbing her arms in the process, "sorry for the scare." Alice smirked.

"Abernathy?" The brunette twisted her head.

"Pardon?" The man shrugged.

"Your name?" Alice quirked an eyebrow, a smirk plastered on her face.

"Alice, actually." The man laughed.

"Apologies, it just said 'Abernathy' outside the door." Alice waved a hand in front of her face in a non-caring manner. The man held out a hand to help Alice off the table, she gladly took it and was guided to the floor. She dusted herself off and placed her hands on her hips, staring at the other with her.

"I didn't catch your name." He looked at her while brushing some loose strands of hair out of his face.

"Leon S. Kennedy." Alice nodded.

"Pleasure."

"Same." Leon reached behind him, pushing his jacket off to the side. He grasped a pistol and handed it to Alice. She held the weapon loosely. A mighty fine .45.

"We should get going." He headed towards the door, awaiting Alice to follow him.

Minutes pass with them walking down the quiet hallways. Bodies were strewn about, both long dead and nicely fresh. Leon and Alice hadn't spoken since freeing the brunette, but curiosity finally had gotten the better of her.

"What was the thing that opened the door?" Leon turned towards her but continued on walking.

"A tyrant. I've had that one since the Raccoon City incident. Found him in an abandoned laboratory. He follows voice commands but sometimes her shorts out and gets kind of feisty."

"You were at Raccoon?" Leon stopped and fully turned around.

"Yeah, I was a rookie cop, first day on the job too. I was stuck in the police department, along with a couple others. Myself and two others were able to escape, though we decided to go our separate ways, myself heading West while she moved more towards the South-West." Alice pondered for a moment.

"She?" Leon nodded.

"Two she's actually. One being a child. From what I gathered, the kid went with another group of survivors while Claire continued south." The brunette's eyes widened. She wasn't sure if she heard that correctly.

"Claire…Redfield…?" Leon's eyebrows perked up.

"Yeah! You know her?" Alice nodded slowly.

"In Nevada, she had a convoy there. They traveled to Alaska, with what little survivors were left, and we soon made our way to Los Angeles." Leon looked at her and remained quiet, knowing that there was to be more to this story.

"I…don't know where she is now. We got attacked by Umbrella and…" The images of Claire on the ground, screaming in pure agony, holding down what little remained of her knee. Her screams tore through Alice's ears, causing her to shut her eyes tightly. "And…everything just went…dark." Leon stayed silent for a few moments, letting Alice's words sink in.

"Umbrella might still have her, but not at this building. Knowing your history together, they'd keep you as far away from each other as possible. Come on, we've got to get going."

It was desolate outside. Quiet and unnerving, but the sun was shining bright. More bodies caked the sidewalks and streets but there were no undead roaming about. There was so much strain in the air though, Alice seemed to almost choke.

A couple hundred feet ahead of the two were others, the beast that had opened the door leading to Alice's rescue and a tall man in a red jacket. Leon brought two fingers to his lips and let out a long whistle, gaining the others attention. The man in red turned around and waved them over. Leon looked back at Alice and nudged his head forward, in a beckoning 'follow' movement.

The tyrant and the man in red waited until in place until Leon and Alice were close enough to see the whites of their eyes.

"Leon…" The man nodded.

"Barry, good to see you still alive." Barry shrugged.

"Not much can keep an old man like me down." The tyrant groaned beside him.

"I'd like you to meet Alice," Leon moved aside so Alice could shake the bearded man's hand, "she was the one in the room."

Barry had sullen eyes and a scraggly face, but he smiled happily as he took her hand in his own. His receding hair line was what truly gave away his true age. Alice smiled back and caught what he was looking at.

The insignia. He let go of her hand and leaned forward to get a better look.

"You're Umbrella property, huh?" Alice frowned.

"Umbrella still seems to think so." Barry rose back up and scratched his chin.

"Bah, no matter. You seem dandy enough to trust to me." Barry smiled again, erasing all tension that had built up.

_'I guess there really is some hope left in this world'_ Alice thought.

**XxXxXxXxX**

The brace on her leg made moving difficult, let alone barely possible, but she pushed herself. She had to leave…and now. The building was falling apart all around her, the pillars crumbled and walls barricaded many of the rooms. The dust entered her airway, throwing her into a coughing fit. She began to pant wildly. Out. Out.

Claire needed to get out.


	3. Aenema

This chapter is dedicated to Manya91. Go read her fics, because they're about 500x better than my own and she's just fucking awesome in general.

**Disclaimer: What'd I tell you last time? Go back to chapter one.**

**XxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxX**

"_**Time to bring it down again.**_

_**Don't call me a pessimist.**_

_**Try and read between the lines.**_

_**I can't imagine why you wouldn't**_

_**Welcome any change, my friend."**_

_**Aenema – Tool**_

**XxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxX**

Claire stayed lying on the floor, her face buried in rubble and dust. She turned her face back and forth, trying to rid of the thoughts currently plaguing her mind.

_'It's time to just give up.'_

_ 'Think of all the relief.'_

_ 'No more pressure.'_

_ 'Nothing.'_

She was about to give in. What did she have to lose now? This world has gone to hell, what's the point in staying any longer?

She thought of nothing.

_'What about K-Mart? Alice? Chris? Are they nothing?'_

Claire lifted her head. For all she knew, they could be dead. For her, it was easier to believe that because if she died here and now, she'd finally be with them, with no worry or struggle to survive.

She let her head fall back and she loosened her muscles. She was done.

There was a shift around her waist, sudden warmth and strength surrounded her lower half. Then, she was hoisted off the ground, almost flung into the air. Claire panicked. A yelp was about to escape until she felt a hand cradle her close. Her own rested on a warm chest, she felt the heart beat just beneath her fingers. Emerald eyes gazed upward at their savior. She was met with dark chocolate eyes and black mane of messy hair. Her hero turned around and yelled out.

"We better get moving!" A voice, deep and husky, responded back.

"Move forward, the exit should be just a few feet ahead."

The voice sounded so familiar, Claire strained to remember where she heard it, but all her mind brought forth was the warmth of the burning sun and the rustic smell of the desert sand.

**XxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxX**

Barry led the pack into a large corporate building, his pace was low and slow.

"We've secured this building about a year ago for ourselves, but every now and then a surprise will jump out." Leon stated, looking back at Alice. The brunette cocked her head to the side in response.

"What? Did you snag this from Umbrella or something?" Barry whipped around.

"That's exactly what we did." Leon shrugged his shoulders.

"Seemed as though they were expecting someone to tackle this place." The tyrant trailed behind Alice. He growled as this was mentioned and pushed himself past the leading three. Leon twisted back forward and Barry kept his eyes on Alice.

"He gets like that sometimes. The others believe Umbrella still has control over him and are j-"

"Just waiting for the right moment to strike." Leon cut off the bouldering man, much to his disdain.

"Yeah, what he said." Alice arched an eyebrow.

"How long has he been with you?" She asked. Leon shrugged and tapped his foot on the floor.

"Couple o' years, why?"

"No reason, but Umbrella hasn't been very patient as of late, I highly doubt they'd keep this up for that long."

Barry scratched his chin and nodded several times in agreement. Leon finally turned around and clicked his tongue against his cheek.

"You've got a point…but maybe they're waiting for someone rather than something." Barry came up from behind Leon and patted him on the shoulder, shaking the man back and forth in the process.

"Leon, how many people have you come across while in tow with that thing?" Leon squinted in thought, raising his chin towards the ceiling.

"Hundreds, if not more. Why?"

"Don't you think that it's a little odd that none of those people triggered tyrant?" The sandy haired man looked back at Alice, examining her from head to toe, taking everything she was, in. He raised a gloved hand and pointed straight at her chest.

"No one we met carried that." Leon turned back to Barry, frustration building in his eyes. The older one stared back intently, shaking his head in disbelief.

"6 months ago, we met that woman. The one in the regeneration pod, which was clearly labeled under ownership of Umbrella, and not once did tyrant make a move! Not even when the woman fled did he flinch or react in the slightest!" Barry patted his shoulder once again, a little softer this time.

"Just let it go, go get some rest, I'll take lookout tonight." Leon shrugged off Barry's hand but followed his words, with a small dip of his head at Alice, he left them alone.

The brunette cocked her head to the side and released a long sigh.

_ '10 years and this bullshit is still following me around.'_

**XxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxX**

A soft clicking sound was what woke Claire up. Constantly clicking, as if right up in her ear. She grunted and waved a hand to ward off the noise, but to no avail. The sound continued.

"Fuck, knock it off." Still clicking.

"Shut the hell up!" She screamed. That did the trick.

"Oh! You're awake!" Claire's eyes shot open. She turned over and looked at where the voice had come from. Her eyes wandered around the body, a man in his late 30's early 40's all geared up in a commando suit, his blackened face was smirking and his dark eyes were wide, looking admiringly at Claire.

"You healed nicely. Can you get up?" Claire remained unmoving and silent, unsure of this character. He held up a hand and laughed.

"No rush, take your time." The redhead leaned off the bed, resting herself on her hands. She took this as an opportunity to get a bearing on her surroundings. Her eyes fluttered back to her companion.

"Who are you?" He turned around and leaned up against a table.

"The name's One. You're Claire." Her eyes went wide at this.

"How the hell do you know that?"

One threw a thumb behind him, pointing at a man sitting at the table he was leaning on. Claire hadn't noticed there was another in the room.

"Carlos knows you." At the mention of his name, he raises his head.

Claire becomes bombarded with memories. When they first met up, just outside Raccoon City. Nevada. Vegas. The suicide mission. It all comes back in one big wave.

"Carlos…how…?" He quickly gets up out of his seat and makes his way towards the redhead. Reaching her side, he takes her in his arms and holds her tightly.

"It's a long story." Claire smiles against his chest as soft tears travel down her cheeks.

"I have time." He smiles back.

"Umbrella. It's as simple as that. They must've gotten a hold on a sample of my DNA and had it cloned," he let her go and looked over at One, "same deal with him." One saluted her in a friendly manner. Carlos looked back down at Claire, a glint of hope in his eyes.

"They knew Alice. They met her when this whole outbreak took place. They might be able to locate her." Claire was overjoyed, ecstatic even, but her mind finally slowed down and caught wind of something.

"'They'?" A noise came up from behind her, jarring her forward back into Carlos' arms. The Hispanic laughed and patted her back.

"Claire, this is…" The redhead turned to face behind her, meeting the darkest chocolate eyes she's ever seen.

"The name's Rain."

**XxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxX**

You guys know the drill, no reviews.

Ok.

…

Thanks.


	4. Schism

This chapter isn't dedicated to anyone.

That's a lie.

It's for Short Stack.

**XxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxX**

"_**I've done the math enough to know,**_

_**The dangers of a second guessing,**_

_**Doomed to crumble unless we grow,**_

_**And strengthen our communication."**_

_**Schism – Tool**_

**XxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxX**

The building was about 45 floors, but the group had only reached 21. Barry said that the higher they got, the worse the surprises were.

"Better hidden booby-traps, sickly zombies, you name it, we probably ran into it." Barry exclaimed, as himself and Alice walked around. Barry stopped at a door and turned toward the brunette.

"Your room. Not much, but it's better than nothing." Alice smiled and dipped her head.

"Thanks. Are there any scheduled scouts heading out soon?" Barry arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"Scouts?" Alice shifted and scoffed.

"Yeah. Surveys of nearby areas, buildings. Reporting any odd activity and looking for survivors. Scouts." Barry's eyes go wide and his mouth opens like a fish out of water. He lets out a hollow laugh out of embarrassment.

"Well, we weren't planning on it. Want me to go gather up a team?"

"That'd be nice. No more than three people." Barry gave a flimsy salute and smile and headed back the other way, leaving Alice alone.

Alice walked into the room and silently closed the door. She finally released the breath she was holding in as she sat on the cot located in the farther left corner of the room. As she sat, she began to think. Thinking of everything that has happened over the past ten years, and what is bound to happen in the near future. Alice's body began to shake. She lazily placed her head in her hands, and shook it back and forth. _Arcadia_. Fucking _Arcadia_. What a letdown. She promised all those survivors that they'd be safe with her, but now…all that hope, is no longer alive.

Claire got shot in the knee, tore apart bone and ligaments. The scream. God, the scream. Alice clasped her ears. That'll ring forever in her memories. Claire's a fighter. If she fell, she went down with a fight, but Alice didn't want to believe that. Something told her she's still alive, and it was beating erratically in her chest.

A knocking on her door threw her out of her reverie. Alice regained her composure and got up off the cot. Slowly, she opened the door.

Barry shoved his head in, forcing Alice to back away in surprise.

"Got 'em." He smiled. The brunette simply stared. She opened the door wider and walked out, noticing the others behind the large male. A tall man jittered behind Barry; he wore a yellowish-orange jacket similar to the older one's own. Dark blond hair was short, almost in a military crew cut. Beside him resided a woman, a long flowing red dress hugged her curves, a long slit along the left side proudly showcased lean legs. The dress was decorated with butterflies along her ribcage, also stitched in was the trail the butterflies seemed to be flying in. Jet black hair covered her eyes, but swayed away when she walked forward towards Alice. She raised her hand hip level, holding it out for Alice to grasp.

"Ada. Ada Wong." Alice took it with wariness but respect.

"Alice." Ada smirked as she dropped her hand back to her side.

"Pleasure." The man behind Barry moved forward and nodded his head.

"I'm Brad...Uhh…Brad Vickers." He shuffled to Ada's side. Barry leaned into Alice's ear and whispered.

"Called him 'Bickers' back in the day." As he leaned away, he smirked devilishly at Brad. The man began to shuffle in place.

"Time to head out?" Alice asked in Barry's direction.

"Yep, don't want to waste any time lookin' for your friends." Barry led the pact down the hallway, and down about 4 flights of stairs. As they made their way to the entrance, a voice shouted behind them.

"ADA!" It was Leon. Ada stopped and dropped her head.

"For fucks sake," she muttered, "what!" He appeared from behind a door and made his way towards the group.

"Do you know where my gun is?" Ada sighed. Her face showed frustration.

"Rebecca still has it, you never got it back." Leon flustered and left without a word of thanks. Ada reached behind her back and removed a black .22 caliber glock. She waved it at Barry, who broke out in laughter.

"Payback for leaving his post 2 weeks ago." She said as she noticed Alice's look of confusion. Alice opened her mouth but quickly closed it and instead just nodded.

**XxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxX**

They had only been gone for 45 minutes and already Barry was complaining of an empty and craving stomach. It was silent out, so every moan, grunt and plea echoed into each member's ears.

"Christ, I could really go for a nice sandwich."

"Barry, shut the fuck up." Ada demanded venomously. Brad laughed nervously and Alice just kept to herself, not wanting to grab any attention. They were walking in a neighboring town, just a few blocks away from their stronghold. Desolate and dark, everything was so quiet that every step the group made seemed to follow them.

There was a bout about 12 yards away from them, paint peeling on the sides and windows broken out. The front door slammed every time a gust of wind blew through. Barry looked back at the three behind him and nodded his head forward, pulling out his gun. The three followed his movements, pulling out their own weaponry. Barry led, Brad and Alice close behind him, with Ada pulling the rear. As Barry reached the door, he grabbed for it before it could slam once more against the outside paneling. He stayed quiet. Listening in for any odd noises coming from the main hall that lay before him.

There was nothing. The old man held up two fingers in the air and flicked them forward, motioning for returned movement. The pushed inward into what looked like the living room. Dust covered every surface; the couch was in disarray, the cushions thrown about the floor. Blood speckled several areas, random streaks and pools, dried a thousand times over. Brad pointed his gun towards an adjoining room.

"Kitchen. Check it?" Barry nodded and joined his side.

"Got 'ya." Silently they moved into the room, leaving the two women behind.

Alice looked around, checking for any sudden or slow movement. All she saw was the dust flying in the air, until her eyes rested on a flight of stairs, almost hidden behind a wall. Alice stared at it until Ada blocked her view.

"Curious?"

**XxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxXxxxX**

One checked Claire's knee about every three hours, redressing it and redoing any stitches that popped out. Claire would lean up, taking a quick peek at what her knee looked like and the image she was presented was not pleasant. Screws and wires protruded from her leg, shining brightly in the light that hung above her head. A clear, curved plate rested atop what 'was' left of her knee cap, reconstructing the lost bend. One removed stitches, pulled skin back and checked if everything was alright. With a small and quick nod of his head, noting that everything was alright, he closed everything back up and redressed it with a clean bandage. The pant leg had been removed since Claire had originally woken up, so One had to clothe in left over jean he had found lying in where Claire had slept. Stitching it on, he placed the brace Umbrella has created on the redhead's leg, which was so tightly bolted, it restricted Claire from bending her knee. One patted her foot and stood up, admiring his handiwork.

"Good as new. Well, almost I guess. Just keep still until I come back for our next round, alright?" Claire saluted him and he left. As soon as the door closed, Claire threw herself back onto the bed.

And wept.


End file.
